Stockholm's new art hotel hits it for a six

With so many hotel lobbies being consigned to corridors and darkened corners in the world's race for space, it's nice to find an entrance with a little drama. At Six, Stockholm's newest art hotel, greets visitors with a giant marble bust by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa called Mar (Sea) Whispering. A dramatic marble staircase leads to the dining and drinking level, which is split into several zones, including a "listening lounge" with its own dedicated music director. There is also a sprawling bar and open-kitchen restaurant, where a Swedish-flavoured breakfast buffet is served overlooking Brunkebergstorg, the square once synonymous with Stockholm's belle monde but became neglected when more grand establishments were constructed along the city's waterfront. A revitalisation of the square, which is adjacent to the city's main shopping and business district, is hoping to bring back some of that lost glamour.

The 343-room hotel has been built in the gutted shell of a 1970s brutalist building that formerly housed a bank. London-based interior architects Universal Design Studio (Ace Hotel London) have designed suites that make use of the existing windows, with chaise lounges in windows on lower levels, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the three additional storeys that were added to the existing building. Dark oak hallways and marble credenzas that run the length of the rooms elevate At Six above a typical business hotel but still with all the features working travellers need, including ample desk space and in-room coffee machines. And if all these spaces still aren't enough, there's a rooftop bar and restaurant – one of the few in Stockholm – called Tak, located next door at Hobo, At Six's sister hotel.

Rooms start at $200. See hotelatsix.com.

Melissa Singer stayed at At Six as a guest of H&M.